How Do I Get A Good Distortion Tone Out Of Garageband?

[dNA]

i'm just trying to make due since it was free.

last I checked, you had to buy a Mac to use GarageBand, and with the difference in pricing between a Mac and a comparable PC, i would argue that GarageBand is not free.

not to say that you didn't get your money's worth. but calling something included as part of an expensive package "free" is good marketing, not much else

 

[AutoBat]

haters gonna hate

 

[JaySwear]

haha i mean, i guess... but i bought a laptop to use for topping laps and i got this program on it, so to me it's free :dontknow:

but technically, i guess i also paid $1200 for sh*tty distortion tones and a few other cool features like web browsers and a trashcan for my old programs :icon_biggrin: i'd rather look at it the first way

 

[jay4321]

Anybody do the OSX68 thing?

 

[timswinton]

I grabbed the Ampity pack for a couple of bucks and have gotten good use out of the distortion tones in it.

http://www.ampity.com  is where you get it

 

[jason]

You can also get one of those analog amp modelers, like sansamp. They are meant to be plugged directly into recording panel. There are some cheap ones available which sound surprisingly close.
A friend of mine got something for 40$ or so, a review of the marshall modeler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pluUrclGLB4
No substitute for a good amp, but can get you going for some time until you get a good amp.

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

I record all of my home demos on GB - on an iPhone no less!

You can get useable sounds from the built in amps. Clean tones especially. But distorted tones too, if you know a few tricks. Mainly I blend a distorted tone (something like Woodstock fuzz) with a cleaner tone, perhaps Classic Crunch or something.

The really heavy metal amp on the iOS version is prone to clipping, so you need to tone down the input levels, adjust the gain settings, and use the noise gate. But it is possible. I did this on GB iOS and I think it sounds pretty good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG8s1nT-gF4

If only I could get to the end of it!

But anyway, the amps are ok for messing around with and doing quick demos.

My preference though, is to simply use the Red Box out on my Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister head, into an audio track in Garage Band. That's as close to a proper amp sound as you can get.

 

[croquet hoop]

In any kind of computer simulation, what really changes everything is the use of impulses to simulate a cab. A distorsion/fuzz/anything will sound better when used on an amp sim + impulse than on a basic amp+cab sim. At least, that's what I've experienced.

 

[Cagey]

It's true. A good collection of IR files is like a big pile of special effects or a number of different guitars. They can make a dramatic difference in sound/feel/character/tone.

 

[elfro89]

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/guitar/guitar-rig-5-player/

Download this. Try it. Love it.

I got the full version with Komplete 8 some years back. It has been my complete solution for all guitar sounds. This thing is stupidly powerful.

 

[elfro89]

Here, this is what one of my set ups sounds like. Its a power piece of kit.

 

[mark1178]

I highly recommend Amplitube 3 using the Soldano amp, and the Fultone OCD pedal. I use the Soldano along with a second amp (can't remember at this time) for the cleans, then the OCD. Before that I do have a BBE sonic maximizer, adds a little brightness to my tone. Anyway, Amplitube 3 as your plugin for Garage Band.